Hit pushes Ravens to Super Bowl

Baltimore Ravens head coach John Harbaugh talks to his team following the NFL football AFC Championship football game against the New England Patriots in Foxborough, Mass., Sunday, Jan. 20, 2013. The Ravens defeated the Patriots, 28-13, to advance to Super Bowl XLVII. (AP Photo/Elise Amendola)
— AP

Baltimore Ravens head coach John Harbaugh talks to his team following the NFL football AFC Championship football game against the New England Patriots in Foxborough, Mass., Sunday, Jan. 20, 2013. The Ravens defeated the Patriots, 28-13, to advance to Super Bowl XLVII. (AP Photo/Elise Amendola)
/ AP

The Patriots running back lay on his back Sunday night in the AFC Championship Game, a wild scramble for possession spanning more than a minute a few feet from his motionless body.

By the time he could stand, it was the Ravens' ball.

He walked to the locker room, bumping into a wall along the way. By then, it was their game.

Football is a physical sport, and at Gillette Stadium, there came a reminder. Baltimore celebrated a return to the Super Bowl, a matchup between brothers, a proper send-off to a linebacker's legendary career, and the key to it all was a brain-rattling hit from safety Bernard Pollard in a 28-13 victory.

The legal, fourth-quarter tackle knocked Ridley from the game.

It was part of a dictating second half that saw Baltimore shut out the NFL's No. 1 offense.

“That was the turning point of the football game,” Ravens coach John Harbaugh said. “It was a tremendous hit. It was football at its finest.”

At the time, it was a one-score game.

Quarterback Tom Brady just completed a 12-yard pass to Brandon Lloyd to work the Patriots toward midfield. He handed off to Ridley, who, to finish an 8-yard run, lowered his helmet into Pollard's helmet and suffered a concussion.

Ravens defensive end Arthur Jones recovered the fumble.

Four plays later, wide receiver Anquan Boldin caught an 11-yard touchdown pass, and the Ravens' lead was pushed to 28-13.

“This is football,” Pollard said. “He broke a hole, and us as safeties, we have to fill when needed. … I hope he's OK. We as players are competitive in the moment, but when everything calms down, you want that guy to be OK. That is our brother.”

The win sets up a Super Bowl matchup between brothers.

On Feb. 3, Ravens coach John Harbaugh will stand opposite 49ers coach Jim Harbaugh, the younger of the two who won earlier in the day in Atlanta.

The date also marks the finite end to linebacker Ray Lewis' career. The 37-year-old, who has been selected to 13 Pro Bowls and won the Super Bowl in 2001, plans to retire.

AFC Championship recap

There wasn't much for Joe Flacco early.

In the first quarter, the Ravens quarterback's lone completion came on a checkdown in the flat to fullback Vonta Leach. Flacco was 0-for-5 when throwing to other receivers.

In the second quarter, that began to change.

He completed five straight, each to a different receiver, including a 25-yard pass to wide receiver Torrey Smith. To cap the drive, running back Ray Rice took a handoff and bounced it left for a 2-yard touchdown.

Baltimore opened things up in the second half, and Flacco outperformed Brady.

Flacco completed 21 of 36 passes for 240 yards and three touchdowns. He has an 8-0 touchdown-to-interception ratio in these playoffs. Brady finished 29-for-54 with 320 yards, one touchdown and two picks.

“They make it tough on you,” Brady said of the Ravens. “They're a good team. They're a good defense, and they kept the pressure on and we just didn't really stand up to the challenge.”